


They Forgot About You

by Rulerofyouall



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Abduction, Aftermath of Torture, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Angst, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Fluff and Angst, Good Grandparent Alfred Pennyworth, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Injury, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd-centric, Jason-centric, Kidnapping, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Torture, Past Violence, Protective Alfred Pennyworth, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Roy Harper, Psychological Torture, Roy Harper Needs a Hug, Self-Harm, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28910253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rulerofyouall/pseuds/Rulerofyouall
Summary: Roy returns from an off world mission to find that Jason had been missing for weeks, and none of the Bats had even noticed.
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 51
Kudos: 305





	1. Where is He?

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing!

Once Roy was off Kori's ship, he made a beeline to the zeta tubes. They had already exchanged their goodbyes, and no repairs were required on the ship. Luckily, neither of them were injured either. Their mission had been simple, but it was off world. It almost didn't seem worth it to travel thousands of miles just to do something he could have done in his sleep.

He wanted to see his Jaybird. It had been weeks since they had least seen each other at all, and it was nearly impossible to communicate with each other from different planets. Jason had told him his plans for the duration of his mission, and he was supposedly still in Gotham, working with his family in fact. A month ago, Tim had asked him to help out with a long operation tracking the path of a new drug that had been introduced to the city and making its way around the alleyways.

Roy took the zeta tube straight to the Batcave, a smile stretched across his face. A lot of people were there, but he hadn't seen his boyfriend yet.

"Roy?" Dick looked up, standing to greet him. 

"Hey, Dick. Have you seen Jay? I just got back."

His face visibly tightened as if he was in pain, but he was not the one to respond to him. No, that honor went to the youngest Wayne.

"Tt, no. Todd left us weeks ago."

Roy's smile faltered. "What do you mean? He said he would be working with you guys."

"That's what we thought to." Damian scoffed. "I'm not surprised that the imbecile ran away."

Bruce silenced him with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Jason was supposed to come help us weeks ago, but he hasn't come yet."

"But you looked for him, right?"

Tim shook his head. "What's the point in doing that? He disappears all the time."

"He'll be back when he wants to." Dick agreed.

Roy shook his head, trying to clear his head of the thoughts that were suddenly bombarding him. Jason wouldn't disappear like that, not after he told Roy where he would be and when he would be there. Something must have happened, and it couldn't be anything good.

The other Bats had gone back to talking to each other in the minutes he had been silent. Roy couldn't help but listen to what they were saying, something about the drugs being dealt most heavily around Crime Alley and the Narrows, and that made him want to grab someone and shake them. Would Jason disappear and let someone fill his territory with drugs?

"Did he take his equipment with him at least?" Roy asked.

Stephanie looked up in surprise, barely hearing his words. "What?"

"Did he take his equipment out of his safe house?"

The Bats looked at each other in discomfort, and Roy could just tell that he wasn't going to like the answer that came out of any of their mouths.

Dick bit his lip. "We don't...know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know?'" His eyes gained a fierce fire to them, one that threatened to burn holes straight through the people in front of him. He paused for a moment, coming to his new conclusion. "You...you didn't even check his safe house, did you?"

Damian spoke up first again, always quick to defend his father and himself. "We are not his babysitters."

"And you don't think that him just disappearing out of no where was at least a little suspicious?"

Tim looked uncomfortable at the notion that his older brother could be in danger, and they hadn't bothered to check. "I mean....it _is_ Jason, Roy."

"Who _gives_ a fuck who it is? Vanishing into thin air isn't a good thing!" Roy ran both hands through his hair and pulled at the ends, pacing the room from end to end. "Besides, Jason wouldn't do this."

Bruce didn't stay at the edges of the scene anymore. "He has before."

"Yeah, well, I know him a lot better than any of you, okay? So when I say it's weird, it's _weird!_ "

He narrowed his eyes. "I am his _father._ "

"And I'm his motherfucking boyfriend! And you barely knew Jason when he was a child, let alone now. Face it, guys, but Jason is _very_ different from how you perceive him." Roy marched right up to the Bat and into his personal space.

If they knew Jason at all, they wouldn't be in this situation. The Bats would have realized that something was weird, and they would have looked for him. Even if he turns up just peaches, he would at least know that they cared enough to try to find out where he disappeared off to.

Upon Bruce's return to silence, he made a small sound of disgust. "I'm going to go check out our safe house."

"Tell me what you find!" Dick called out. "I'm...sorry I didn't think to look."

Roy, who had made it to the motorbike he had left, turned back with a sneer. "I'm not the one you should be sorry to!"

While preparing to leave, he heard a few more comments from the Bats that he couldn't care enough to respond to. From, "everything is okay" to "this is what Todd always does," he knew that nothing but solid proof would get through their painfully thick skulls. Because everything was _not_ okay, and that was why he was pissed. They didn't bother to follow up with Jason at all! Missing one day might seem innocent, but he had been gone for nearly a month at this point.

He walked towards the apartment complex they lived in, noting that their mailbox was overflowing. _Fuck._ That meant that no one had been here to empty it, so surely, some of his neighbors or even the mail carrier must be getting suspicious by now. More suspicious than Jason's own fucking family.

There were more suspicious signs as he got closer. Dust coated literally everything: the door knob, the tops of the door panels, the ceiling fan, the tables, even the goddamn floor, and Jason was a clean freak. He wouldn't have let it get like this if he could help it. The front door looked like it had been pried open with something like a crowbar. The locks were shot, and it could barely stay closed anymore.

And the Bats would've noticed all this if they _fucking bothered to check._

Did they even care about Jason at all? Or just the concept of him? They seemed to want him to be a part of the family, but every time he showed signs of being, well, Jason, they would retreat. And if he just vanished, he was easily replaceable. It wasn't their fault; no, it was Jason's for not showing up, abducted or not.

It smelt of decay in the apartment, and he immediately covered his nose with a bandana he had in his pocket. His eyes watered. It just reeked of death, and for a moment, Roy thought that he was too late. Blood absolutely caked everything from the furniture to the floors to the walls to the ceiling, and all of it was centered around the kitchen. There were a few crowbars, a tire iron, and three guns scattered around, all of them bloody as well. The window was fucking left _open._ A body laid there, having decayed for what he could clearly see was a month. Luckily, he knew that it wasn't Jason, but he didn't like the reason why.

The corpse was wearing a fucking _clown mask._

He was immediately dialing Dick's number, knowing that they were still probably hovering over that drug case, content to let the trail of Jason's abduction go cold. Hell, his boyfriend was probably dead by now.

_No, don't think like that._

He heard Dick pick up.

_"Roy? Did you find him?"_

"Are the others still there?" He seethed quietly, wanting to yell at all of them at once.

_"Yeah, do you want to go on speaker?"_

"Please." Roy waited until he heard the beep to really lay into them.

 _"Harper? You wanted something?"_ That was Damian clearly.

"You are all a bunch of _fucking_ idiots." Roy cursed. "Why even bother being vigilantes if you can't even BOTHER to notice a horrific crime being perpetrated against your own fucking brother?"

Bruce's voice came on next. _"Report. What happened?"_

Roy sneered even though he knew they couldn't see. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

 _"Roy, can I FaceTime you? I want to see what's going on."_ It was Dick now.

He scowled. "Come here yourself. See for yourself like I did and tell me _one more fucking time_ that Jason will come back when he feels like it."

_"All right."_

"You should all feel fucking _sick_ that you let this get so far." He hung up, not wanting to hear any of the arguments they would come up with in their defense.

After that, his knees simply gave out from under him. Jason, his Jason, was gone. After an entire month, if he was even still alive, he could literally be anywhere across the globe. The culprit--obviously the Joker based off of the clown mask--had weeks and weeks to cover his tracks, to let the trail go cold, but he wouldn't do that, right? The Joker was all about showmanship. He would want Jason to go out with a **_bang_** or something.

....Or maybe the show would be Bruce and the rest just discovering Jason's body, already dead, and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.

And the fact that it was the _Joker_ too made it a million times worse. That goddamn psycho clown was his partner's worst nightmare, and he had been stuck in his claws for roughly an entire month. God, Roy wanted to puke just thinking about what Jason must be thinking, _feeling_ at that exact moment. He must think that everyone had abandoned him at this point.

Roy was privileged enough to know some of Jason's secrets, and one that he kept to himself was that he had died begging for his father to save him. Was he doing the same now? Or had he in the past, having already died?

Why did he bother going off world for a stupid mission that probably could have been done by someone else? The Joker must have known when he left. Based off of the level of decomposition, Jason had been kidnapped almost immediately after Roy left. If he hadn't have left, this wouldn't have fucking happened. Realistically, he knew that the Joker would have found some other way to make his move, but someone would have been there to at least _notice._ Roy would've done more too. If he had known, he would've stopped at nothing to find him, and by now, Jason would probably be safe and everything.

Roy took pleasure in that Jason had fought back, clearly wounding many and killing one of the henchmen who joined the clown. He wanted to lash out at the corpse, to at least kick it, but he didn't want to damage any evidence that could still be there.

_If there was any still because_ _NO ONE FUCKING NOTICED._

The door slammed open, and Roy whipped around, wiping the tears out of his eyes furiously. All the Bats crowded the door frame, each of their eyes widening as they took in not only the state but also the _age_ of the scene before them.

"Oh my God." Dick gaped.


	2. .....Fuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did they let it go so far?

"I hope you're fucking happy. God, I hope this _fucking_ gives you joy because it sure as hell isn't for me." Roy stayed where he had collapsed on the ground, slowly rocking back and forth.

Dick blinked hard a few times, his eyes shining with what could only be tears. "It's not...I promise you it's not."

He looked around the room, taking in the corpse (obviously not his brother...it was a woman), the bloodied weapons (if it wasn't Jason's weapon....it was probably Jason's blood), and the overall signs of the struggle around the room (his little wing had fought back...had he been waiting for them to come help him?), and dear fuck, his little wing was still there if he was still alive. The bitch's corpse was old....about a month old, he thought. That meant that Jason had been struggling, probably wondering where the fuck they were or if they were even coming at this point. He would come, obviously, but he should have come earlier. It was his responsibility after all. He was the big brother. He was the one who was supposed to _protect_ his baby siblings from the world.

...he failed on that one big time.

"I should be able to get some DNA out of these spatters." Tim mentioned offhandedly, pulling at some loose strings at the sleeve of his costume. Dick had noticed that he had taken to doing that whenever he felt nervous or guilty over something, and well, if there was anything to ever feel nervous about, this was it.

Bruce walked over to the body. "We should call in Commissioner Gordon. They need to take the body."

Roy jumped up. "What? Are you so _eager_ to push this case onto someone else already?"

"No, but-"

"Jason is your son. You are supposed to fucking _notice_ if your children get abducted! Don't just brush this one off, Batman. Do your fucking job, or take off the fucking cowl." The archer glared daggers at the older vigilante. "Because of your carelessness, Jason could be anywhere in the fucking world right now. Don't give me that look; you know it's true. The trail went cold long ago, you fuckwit. We just have to hope that the Joker wants to put an a...show, believe it or not, because I don't think any of this," he gestured rapidly around the room, "will get us anywhere."

Tim scraped at some of the blood on the floor. "We have to try."

"You should've done that a month ago!"

"Well, we didn't, and we're stupid not to have picked up on this earlier. But there is nothing we can do right now to change the past. We can only work from here to do better in the future." He deposited his tool into a sterilized bag. "Now, are you guys going to get started or not?"

Stephanie finally opened her mouth, a tiny bit of blood coming out from where she had been biting her lip. "How are you so calm?"

"I'm not!" He groaned. "But there is work that needs to be done."

* * *

They had practically turned the apartment upside down and inside out searching for clues on where in the world Red Hood could be or who they could talk to that might know the answer. Unfortunately, the body belonged to Vanessa Hooper, who had no family and seemingly no friends either, so they had to rely on finding a blood spatter from someone else who was involved. While they had yet to run anything, Tim was fairly confident that they would find someone. Jason hadn't gone down without a fight, so odds were that someone bled somewhere.

All of the evidence they found were currently being processed in the Batcave or sitting on a table ready to be examined. No one had been in the apartment since the incident as far as they could tell; the dust had not been disturbed. Roy had put all of the mail they had been missing in a bag and was sitting down next to it. Neither their neighbors or the mail carrier had called in about any suspicious activity, but that was normal in Crime Alley. The police didn't fuck around there very much. It was pointless to even try.

He did feel guilty, very guilty, but he tried his best not to show that outwardly. The other Bats, minus Bruce, all seemed to be breaking down physically, so someone had to take the lead to hold the team together. Batman wasn't being much of a leader right now anyway. The older man had retreated into himself. He was doing the work, but he was working _alone_ as if no one else existed. It felt...wrong, starting from the beginning. They should have been much further along in the case by this point. Jason should be back by now.

It was too late now anyway. ~~If~~ when Jason comes back, he would never forgive them for not noticing he had fucking disappeared, especially when his abduction was so obvious, and he would be right in hating them all. Tim wished for forgiveness already, but there was no one he could ask for it. He didn't deserve it anyway. If he had taken a step back, got his head out of his ass, and looked at something other than the drug running case they had been working on, surely, he would have noticed that his older brother had vanished, but no, he had thrown himself into his work. Nothing else had been real to him.

"He....he sent letters." Roy's voice cracked, and Tim's heart ached for him. "The Joker, I mean. They all went to his apartment, and still, no one noticed."

He separated the bills that had gone unpaid from the envelopes with different messages scrawled on the top of them. The worst thing was that there were so _many_ of them. The Joker had to have been sending these at least several times a week, trying to get their attention.

...even the Joker thought that they would have been better.

The family paused, gathering around the table. The machinery testing the blood still ran, and it made a beeping noise every few minutes. He tried to clear it from his head. He needed to focus on Jason, his brother, his favorite Robin, who probably hated his guts once more. Tim kind of hated his guts too at the moment. He felt sick.

Wearing blue nitrile gloves, Roy carefully undid the seal on the first letter, dated only a few days after he had left to go to space. It must have been almost immediately after Jason had been kidnapped from their apartment. Inside the envelope was a card. It looked like on of those thank you cards that you would give out to people after birthday parties, all covered in balloons and smiles. Tim wanted to burn it.

_Greetings, Batsy!_

_Where to begin, where to begin? Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, Robin Numero Dos has gone missing! Gasp!_

_I quite liked the time we had together when he was younger. He screamed so sweetly._

_Anyway, I was thinking. Why don't we put on a little show? Just you and me....and your son, I guess. It'll be fun!_

_We'll be in Amusement Mile in two days time. See you there! It'll be a real riot!_

"He literally told you where Jason would be." Roy stood up and slammed his fist into the wall. "You had a fucking chance to get him back in a matter of days, and you still didn't notice."

Bruce spoke up. "I get that you're angry."

"I'm not angry. I'm fucking pissed! You took a child in, adopted him, gave him a home, and now, you couldn't be bothered to check up on him at all for an entire month after he'd been literally _abducted_." He kicked the chair he had been sitting on, ignoring the pain coursing through his body.

"We were not aware-"

"You should have fucking been." Roy laughed loudly, but it was not out of happiness. He was near hysteria. "There were so many signs that something had gone wrong, but nope! You all chose to ignore every single one of them. You had your fucking chance to have Jason. Hell, you've had _two_ chances. That's more than most people get, Bruce."

He sighed, pausing for a moment, before picking his chair back up and sitting back down in it. The archer continued to stare at the multitude of letters before him, feeling more and more hopeless as time passed.

"There are probably fingerprints still on these, Harper." Damian coughed awkwardly into his fist. "If not from a henchman, then from one of the mail carriers. Either way, they might have information."

"Thanks, Dami." Roy didn't blame Damian for this. He was too young to have really taken charge of the investigation. While Damian should have still found it odd that Red Hood had disappeared, he couldn't fault the kid for not doing anything about it.

Tim, also wearing gloves, carefully took the first letter from Roy and put it on a separate but equally sterile table. He glared at it hard, but it wouldn't disappear. It was just a reminder of how much he and the rest of the Bats had failed his brother yet again. Would they ever do anything right by Jason?

Roy sifted through the pile again, finding the next letter.

_You never showed up! Why? Did I do something to upset you?_

_I don't like it when people don't show up to my parties. Jayjay and I were all by ourselves for hours and hours and hours!_

_You made me mad, Batsy. People don't like me when I'm mad, Jayjay especially._

_You'll come next time though, right?_

Tim knew that all of the Bats at one point that month had wondered if they should go check on Jason, but none of them had ever actually followed through with those concerns. They should have, but no, it was all 'he does this all the time' bullshit that he couldn't stand anymore. They should've been smarter. What's the point of being called a detective if you don't even notice when your own family is missing?

"He's taking out his anger on Jason." Dick murmured.

"Did you expect anything less?" Roy growled, ripping through to the next letter. He wanted to get all of these read as soon as possible, so they could move on and find his partner.

The next envelope, however, didn't have a letter in it but an item. Roy frowned, put his hand inside of it, and took it out. It was a lock of human hair, part black, part white, tied so prettily in a purple and green bow. Suddenly, any small doubt that still remained in any of their hearts that Jason was not with the Joker fled. That was definitely his hair; they didn't even have to do a test to figure that out. Swallowing heavily, the archer put the hair carefully on top of the letter as though treating it nicely would help ease Jason's pain or something. Cass took it aside quickly and silently.

The fourth had writing again.

_Are you ignoring me? Why, Batsy, how could you be so rude?_

_Or is it that you haven't noticed that your baby black sheep has gone missing yet? Or are you ignoring him and not me?_

_Maybe you've forgotten about him entirely. Don't worry; you don't have to explain the details to Jayjay._

_I'll do that for you._

"Well, he definitely hates you." Roy said. There was little to no emotion on his face as he stared at Bruce.

The Bat did not respond.

The letters just seemed to be getting worse and worse as time went on. Eventually, Bruce just left, not able to deal with the emotions he was probably feeling at the moment, and Roy hated him for that. Why did he get to leave, to ignore what was going on? He should be doing everything in his power to get his son back, to get Roy's partner back, but no, he needed some personal time. Roy's feelings were all over the place at the moment, but he was still doing his work. Why couldn't Batman?

Damn it, he missed his Jaybird.

One of the envelopes had a ring on it, looped around a chain. The other Bats might not have realized the significance of it, but Roy sure did. It was the promise ring he had given his partner almost three months ago at this point. Jason had taken to wearing it around his neck because he had been afraid he would lose it otherwise. It was bloody too, both the ring and the chain encrusted in dark red.

"That's Jason's?" Stephanie quirked an eyebrow up.

Roy nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I gave it to him a while ago." He wet his lips. The archer had been doing enough crying lately to be dehydrated, he guessed. "It's his promise ring."

"Oh." She paused. "You were going to propose?"

"Yeah, I was." He shook his head. "Still am, I guess, as soon as I find the slippery fucker."

Regretfully, he had to put the ring aside as well to be searched for fingerprints and any other evidence he could find. Roy wanted to keep it close to him. It was something that was _Jaybird's,_ and that was all that mattered to him. He wanted to keep it close to him.

Soon enough, they came across the last letter, the final one. It wasn't dated too long ago, but the spacing between them had definitely increased. The Joker was losing interest. Roy snarled, knowing that meant that soon enough Jason would be worthless to him. There would be no show to perform, so he'd get rid of his 'props.'

_Well, you've impressed me! I didn't think I'd get away with this for as long as I have._

_I wanted a show though....I never got my show. How could you do that to me, Batsy?_

_Soon enough, Jayjay will get boring. He's being ridiculously uncooperative as well. Is he even worth keeping around?_

He checked the date. This letter had only been written about a week ago. Jason had been alive as of last week, but now, he was unsure. Did the Joker find him boring already? Did he already get rid of him?

"We need to do something fast." Dick's eyes widened. "Show the Joker that we're onto him. Maybe he won't get as bored if we do."

Tim agreed. "It would buy Jason some time, but do you think we'd be able to find him from there?"

"He has to slip up sometime." The eldest brother sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Roy bit his tongue, trying not to curse them out again. They deserved it, but they had already heard his point. It was just wasted breath now. What if the Joker had already disposed of Jason? What if there was nothing left of his lover? What if he's still alive, but the Joker goes to even more extreme measures to fuck with them all? Damn it, he wanted to kill the fucking clown. He kind of wanted to at least injure some of the Bats as well. They deserved it anyway.


	3. Where in the World is Jason Todd?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fucking hell, not even Jason Todd knew the precise answer.

When Jason first came to, he was aware of only a few things. One, that he had been attacked in his own safe house. Two, it had been the motherfucking _clown_ yet again. And three, he had no idea where the hell he was. He shouldn't have been too surprised at that last one. All he could see were the bare walls of someone's basement and the rickety old stairs the went to the main floor.

The room was...sparse, to say the least. There was no furniture except for the steel chair he had been tied down to, and that chair was bolted to the floor as well. _There goes one plan._ There were no pictures on the walls nor a single window that might give him some clue as to his location. There was a single light bulb on the ceiling, flickering away as though it was about to die at any second. He hoped it would stay on; he had never liked the dark much.

The back of his head ached, but he couldn't move his hands to feel whatever wound was there. They were tied down elaborately, cuffs upon cuffs and ropes upon ropes. The Joker wasn't going to take any chances with him. Jason supposed that the pain was probably from a concussion he had gotten when one of the henchmen's crowbars fell with a sharp _crack_ on the back of his head. It had been so loud that for a moment Jason had thought he had been shot.

 _Perhaps it'll hemorrhage, and I'll die before I even have to worry about seeing the Joker's ugly mug again._ Despite the morbid topic, it made Jason grin to himself. He would much rather be dead than be in the hands of the Joker after all. The psychotic clown never took the easy road out. No, he always made someone's death extremely painful, and Jason found that he didn't want to reexperience that, thank you very much. He'd much rather go out on his own terms.

How long had he been out anyway? There was no sunlight in the room to give him a clue as to what time of day it was. Had it been a few hours? A day? Longer? Honestly, Jason had no clue, and he didn't know how to go about figuring that information out anyway.

He tugged a little at his bindings, but the Joker had made sure to tie up his individual fingers as well. They became practically nonfunctional. _Damn._ He had wanted to force the chair onto its side and hopefully break it, but the steel and the bolts in the floor remained unrelenting. There was a gag in his mouth, probably more to prevent him from biting someone than screaming. They had tied both of his legs to the chair as well, but his torso and head remained free. Because _that_ would be helpful.

Jason froze as he heard footsteps upstairs, wondering briefly if it would do him well to pretend to be unconscious still, but the door slammed open before he could make a decision. The clown himself, accompanied by a few mask-wearing henchmen, swaggered down the stairs with the confidence of a man who just got a promotion. Jason felt relieved that the goons were wearing masks. The only reason people wore those things was to stop their victims from identifying them later on, so that meant that at least Jason wasn't about to die at this moment, right?

The Joker's face brightened once he saw that his new plaything was awake once more. "Hiya, Jayjay!" He bounced over to the younger man and paused for a few seconds.

Jason turned his head to glare at the clown, but he didn't even try to say anything. It would all come out muffled anyway.

The other man pouted. "That's no way to greet an old friend, Jayjay."

_You're NOT my friend._

"I hope your excited though. I've got something really big planned for you." Somehow, his smile stretched impossibly wider. "What do you say, huh? Do you think Daddy Batsy will show up in time? I'm betting on...no! No, he will not! But won't it be so fun to find out? Maybe I'll be wrong this time!" He cackled.

Jason forced himself to look away. Frankly, what the Joker was saying unnerved him. 'Will show up on time?' indicated that there was a time that would be _too late_ , and given their history, he knew that it meant a ticket back into the ground six feet under. If that did happen though, he wished it would be permanent at the very least, or maybe the Bats would have the forethought to cremate him this time? He didn't want to take any chance.

Oh, how he longed for his gag to be removed, so he could _spit in the Joker's face._ Maybe it'd wipe some of the creepy fucking make up off or something. He didn't know, didn't care, but the thought made him happy.

The Joker circled him a few times, and Jason snarled under his breath. The older man seemed to be looking for something, considering something, and Jason didn't like where that was going.

"I have to say that I do hope Batsy shows up in time. I want him to watch you die!" He laughed a bit as if he had said something hilarious. "There was really no hope for you by the time he showed up when you were a wee lil' Robin, and I want Batsy to feel that hope. And then, I want to rip it away from him. Wouldn't his face be fantastic?"

A few henchmen in the background murmured in agreement with their boss, but Jason stubbornly refused to acknowledge his words.

The Joker paused, crossing his arms over his chest and contemplating. "We do have to get you ready for the show, Jayjay. You're my main attraction! We can't have you looking like that, now, can we?"

What the fuck was he going to do to him? God damn it.

"Maybe I could put you in a cute outfit...but you look far too healed." He narrowed his eyes, wondering what he could get away with without his captive lashing out at him. "You'll behave for me, right?"

Jason growled, and the Joker took it as an opportunity to bring out his trusty crowbar again, using it to rip through the skin and clothing covering his left arm. Pain flared from the area, but Jason was unable to move it out of the way for the next assault. He swore he felt something crack, and he groaned deeply. Motherfucker, it hurt like a bitch. At least someone would have to notice that he didn't show up to their meeting in the Batcave, right?

"You have to admit that you're curious too. If there was a do-over, would your Daddy save you?" The Joker grinned. "Or would he throw you away like you were trash?"

* * *

What must have been about two days passed before Jason was moved from the tiny basement. He still didn't know where he was or where he moved to; they had made sure of that with yet another crack to the skull. Damn, if they kept this up, he'd be out of brain cells soon enough. 

He had a bag over his head when he woke up, yet he knew that all of his original bindings had been restored again. They were probably in pristine condition too; he didn't think any of the henchmen wanted to risk the Joker's wrath by doing a shoddy job and letting him escape. He hoped that the next person who tied him back up was stupid, or he was about to have real problems.

Jason soon came to the realization that not only did his clothing feel very different than the ones that he had on earlier but he also felt much, much cleaner. Of course, that only meant one thing. While he had been unconscious, someone had stripped him and bathed him, and Jason was totally _not_ eager to find out exactly who did it. He hoped it was some random henchman, but for some reason, he just knew that his worst nightmare had been present as well for the humiliation factor if nothing else.

Craning his neck downwards, he shook his head wildly, flinging the sack off of his head. The room spun, and Jason was reminded of how little he had been given sustenance-wise since his abduction. He had been given almost no water, food, or restful sleep, all in a ploy to get Red Hood as weak as possible. He didn't want to admit that it was working. Squinting through the bright lights, he eventually recognized Amusement Mile, one of the Joker's favorite playgrounds, and he grew in confidence. It would be easy enough to find the Joker here; hell, this would be the first place Jason would think of looking. That meant that he'd be out of here soon, back in his safe house to clean up the mess and move on from this ugly occurrence. Maybe he'd even be able to cope well enough that Roy wouldn't notice a thing once he came back from his mission. Jason always hated making his partner worry, so hiding this wouldn't be a bad idea in his opinion.

Unfortunately, now that he could see where he was, he could also see the Joker looking bored as all hell a few feet away from him. A bored Joker was not a pleasant Joker, and Jason's breath immediately caught in his throat. The Joker seemed almost sad, almost...disappointed? It was a weird look on his face, and Jason wished for nothing more than to wipe it off of him.

The Joker must have felt his gaze because he looked up not long afterwards. "Batsy hasn't shown up yet." He said almost mournfully. "I hate it when Batsy ignores me. What did I do to deserve that? I planned everything out! I got this location set up all nice and pretty for him, I got all my followers prowling around, and I even have you! I thought that he wouldn't stop for anything until he had all of his kiddies safe again." He frowned, kicked a lone rock on the floor.

Jason managed to peer out of the tent he had put him in, and yes, it did seem odd that no one had shown up by this time, especially if the Joker had invited Bruce as he expected he did. It was nearing dusk, and all patrols would soon cease. The Bats would return to the cave and head up the stairs to their warm beds, and Jason would be left here.

The Joker prowled closer to him and set himself in Jason's lap, straddling his waist. Jason desperately wished to _bite him_ , but his mouth was still otherwise occupied by a stupid piece of fabric. Jason leaned back as far as he could, but it didn't stop one of the Joker's sharp fingernails from tracing a path on his neck from ear to ear. Oh, fun. The Joker was thinking of killing him already.

The weight lifted off of his legs, and Jason finally exhaled. He hadn't even realized that he had been holding his breath. He only had a moment of reprieve though, and he felt the sharp sting of the Joker's hand soon after.

_Backhand?_

Again.

_Or forehand?_

"I'm bored." The Joker moaned pathetically as if Jason was supposed to pity him or something.

_I don't care. Go suck a chainsaw._

The madman walked out of his field of vision for what felt like forever, and he just knew he wouldn't like whatever it was that the Joker found to play with. His breath wouldn't stop hitching, but god damn it, he wasn't about to fucking cry in front of the clown. Or anyone else for that matter. Tears were disgusting, and they were not worth his time nor his effort. Bruce wouldn't be coming tonight, and Jason would just have to figure out how to get out of this mess by himself. He'd done that before in millions of other situations, so why should this one be any different?

_Because it's HIM._

It shouldn't make a difference at the very least.

He craned his neck, moving his shoulders to give him the best possible vantage point towards the clown's location, but he couldn't see much. He had a crowbar like usual, but he wasn't coming back yet. It made Jason nervous, to say the very fucking least.

When the Joker came back, he looked much happier with himself, swinging to crowbar around joyfully. "Look, Jayjay! Just like old times, yeah? Maybe Batsy is still around but needs to be drawn out! Maybe he needs...motivation!" He looked pleased as though he had come across some brilliant conclusion.

Jason knew he was wrong. Bruce wasn't coming. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that all of this would disappear, but it just wouldn't. He wished he could shut off his ears too, anything to block out the sound of the crazed laughter coming from his greatest fear.

He swung at his shins first, and Jason was glad he had been tied to the chair as he definitely would have hit the floor otherwise. He grimaced, refusing to give the Joker the satisfaction of hearing him scream, but it was becoming difficult as he felt _something_ crack under the Joker's second blow. He felt like sobbing, wailing really, but he would not, could not, refused to do so.

Where was Bruce? Bruce said he would always come for him if he was in trouble. Maybe he had truly made him mad by running away, all the way to Ethiopia? They had had their...difficulties, but Bruce loved Jason, right? He wasn't going to just give up on him, right? Jason had gone out in search of his biological mother, but that hadn't ended anywhere good. He flinched violently as he felt the crowbar slam against his ribcage, a gasp forcing its way out of his mouth.

His eyes flew open again, and he took a good moment to look around. No, he was being foolish. He wasn't in Ethiopia, and there was no chance in hell that Bruce would even be close to making it this time. He wasn't a kid anymore. He was an adult, and he got himself into this mess. It would have to be him to get himself out of it as well. Maybe Bruce was trying to teach him another lesson or something? Actions have consequences or some bullshit like that? But what could he have possibly done to deserve this? Why couldn't they just save him already?

The Joker cackled, swinging harder than ever before, but he stopped it only centimeters from Jason's face. He couldn't withhold a wince at how close he had gotten to a no doubt serious injury. Slowly, the madman brought the crowbar down and patted Jason on the head gently. The motherfucker was _pleased_ with himself.

"I guess we know the answer, huh? Daddy wouldn't come in time. I was originally just going to kill you, to see if you could hold on long enough until he gets here, but I don't think he's coming."

If that look had been on anyone else's face, Jason would've felt sorry for them, but no, this was the Joker who looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. The clown stood and trudged around the tent morosely for a bit, seemingly deeply depressed over the lack of attention he was getting.

"We'll just have to try this another time, yeah? Don't worry, Jayjay; you'll get your show soon enough..."

* * *

Was it really that hard to find him? Jason grew more and more antsy as time passed. He had been returned to the basement soon after, so he was fairly confident that he was still in Gotham somewhere. Where exactly, he didn't know, but he couldn't imagine being elsewhere. They'd want to keep him close to Amusement Mile, so they could transport him quickly to and fro after all their attempted 'performances.' 

Despite how many dumbass costumes he got dressed up in (he wasn't a fucking doll, thanks), Batman never showed up. Jason was beginning to think that he wouldn't show up ever, and why would he? Jason Todd was the disappointment of the family, so maybe he was just taking this as an opportunity to rid themselves of Red Hood forever. They'd even be able to keep their hands clean and claim that they had just been too late to save him from the psychotic madman. People would probably believe it too. The Bats had never been able to save everyone, so who cared if he became yet another statistic?

He worried for himself, yes, but he worried for his people more. He had several Crime Alley families under his protection, people who depended on him for food and safety. It was his job to keep those streets clear of dangerous drugs and violent crime, and without him, no one would step in to fill his shoes. Would they think that Red Hood had simply abandoned them all? The younger ones probably would, especially the 'street rats.' Suicide rates would skyrocket too. Bruce and the others might not realize it, but a big part of his job was suicide prevention, not murder or whatever they thought he did. Crime Alley and the Narrows were full of people down on their luck, depressed as all hell, and a good portion of them would try to take their own lives. He had caught people from jumping off of building, grabbed guns and knives out of people's hands. Sometimes, there were repeat offenders, and Jason didn't know what to do with them all. Even if they had enough money for psychiatric treatment, which was doubtful, the psych ward of Gotham General Hospital would never be able to house that many. Without Red Hood there to stop them....Jason worried about what would become of those people.

Jason glanced up at his hair. Not too long ago, the Joker had skipped into the room with a ridiculously large pair of scissors and all but shoved it into his face. For a moment, Jason thought that the Joker would attack, but no, all he did was cut off a piece of his hair. After that, he left. It was...odd. Why wasn't the Joker attacking him? Beating him half to death at any given opportunity? He must want something from him, something that he wouldn't be able to give if he was too terribly injured.

That being said, the beatings hadn't stopped entirely. They just didn't go to as extreme lengths as the one that had led to his death had, and Jason was glad for that. It would help him think more clearly, but even if he got a good idea, he doubted he'd be able to execute it correctly. He was barely given enough food and water to survive as it was, and with all of the little ~~injuries~~ presents the Joker had left him with, he wouldn't be able to move efficiently at all. 

It was getting a bit ridiculous. Someone definitely should have picked up on his disappearance by now, so he just knew that they were purposefully ignoring him. Not just Bruce either, but everyone: Tim, Dick, Cass, Stephanie, and every other vigilante in the area. Even if Bruce had ordered them to leave him to rot, the younger heroes weren't known for their listening skills, so it was a personal choice. It hurt. He had thought that he had a family in them, one that he could return to eventually, but apparently, that was not the case. They wouldn't be leaving him in the hands of his worst nightmare otherwise. Plus, they must know that he had been missing; he had been planning on helping them with a case! When he hadn't shown up, had they gotten suspicious at all? Or had they not cared? Jason didn't know which one would be worse: plain ignorance or choosing to leave him to die.

There was no one else in the dark basement anymore. The light bulb had long since burned out, and no one ever replaced it. Jason supposed that it added another thrill for the Joker whenever he came down to have fun with him. All by himself, he took stock of his resources. If he couldn't see the Joker, it was likely that the Joker wasn't able to see him. This could be useful to him if he ever managed to free himself from the restraints. Speaking of getting out, he had tried numerous times, but it always ended in broken fingers and dislocated wrists. They were never set anyway, so Jason made the choice to not think of what the state of them would be when he got the hell out of here. His shins were still broken, and his ribs were definitely at least bruised, possibly fractured. The Joker hadn't stepped up his game so far, but it was only a matter of time. He was focusing on getting Bruce's attention for now. When he realized that he would not be getting his prize, he would fall back on Jason.

A few days after their last incident at Amusement Mile (yes, they went there multiple fucking times, and no one noticed), the Joker had gotten a few more toys. He still used his favorite crowbar, using it to smash his kneecaps to pieces (he shuddered thinking of the physical therapy that he would need), but he had many more things to play with. They were hardcore toys as well, usually used during 'interrogations,' but the Joker hadn't asked Jason a single question as he hooked Jason up to the machine and nearly electrocuted him. Even if he hadn't died, the shock of it all knocked him unconscious for what must've been days, Jason believed. 

But now, it was dark. And quiet too; he couldn't forget about that. His eyes were drooping, desperately wishing for sleep, but he couldn't let that happen. He had to remain vigilant, or who knows what else could happen?

_You have to sleep sometime._

Shut up. He'd sleep when he's dead. For the millionth time, Jason wished he had a clock, anything to tell him how much time had passed, but no, he had nothing of the sort. The only interesting things that happened to him nowadays were also the most terrifying: someone coming down the stairs. Normally, it was just a henchman, there to splash water in his face or something, but sometimes, it was the clown himself.

This was one of those times. Like usual, he froze as he heard the door creak open, and he'd recognize the sound from the Joker's footsteps anywhere. He seemed rather morose today too, something that Jason was decidedly not excited about; he was always more violent those days.

"I don't think he's getting my letters, Jayjay." The Joker cried out. "He can't be ignoring _me_ though. It has to be you! Batsy never fails to come to my parties...He usually puts me in Arkham afterwards, but potato pot- _ah-_ to. So, Jayjay, how does it feel to be so unloved by Daddy dearest that he won't even come to save you?"

Jason didn't answer, choosing instead to look elsewhere. The Joker probably already knew the answer anyway. It hurt; of course it did. That man had taken him off the streets, given him everything he had ever wanted while he was still young and innocent, and now, he couldn't even be bothered to save him from the inevitable death at the end of this road. Truly, that was the only way this was going to end. He'd never be able to escape by himself, so either the Joker would kill him or Jason would find a way to do it himself.

_What about your charges?_

He ignored the little voice in the back of his head. Red Hood wouldn't be useful to anyone in Crime Alley or the Narrows if he was stuck in here for the rest of his days. It would be best to get it done and over with, so they can be certain that he's dead and find some way to move on. There would be casualties in the power vacuum (hell, there probably already was), but there was _nothing he could do about that._ Maybe Bruce or one of the others would decide to take over his routes for him, but they'd never give those people the attention they deserved. He wondered if anyone he knew was dead. Maybe they had sat on the ledge of a very tall building, waiting for Red Hood to find them as they sometimes did, and then, when he did not, maybe they...tipped over the side of the roof. Because, deep down, some of them didn't really want to die. They wanted someone to save them, to show them that someone cared, and if Red Hood wasn't there, he doubted anyone else would've bothered.

Jason didn't like the thought very much.

Had enough time passed for Roy to come back? Roy was still on his side, right? Or had they all planned this out? He shook his head, banishing the hysterical thoughts. Even if Bruce wanted him dead, he wouldn't work with the Joker of all people, and the Joker wouldn't be acting like this if that was the case. Plus, Roy loved him. He gave him a promise ring and everything! Everything would be okay if he could hold out until Roy came back to find him.

"You think this would give them a bit of an incentive, Jayjay?" The Joker materialized behind him, ripping at the chain on his neck.

Jason coughed roughly as it dug painfully into his throat, but the madman relented soon after, lifting the necklace from around his neck. The chain was sturdy; it had to be with his lifestyle. It looped through the promise ring Roy had given him earlier. It was made of shiny stainless steel, very practical, and had the words "I love you" engraved on the inside. As the Joker obviously wouldn't be giving it back to him, he immediately began mourning the loss of one of the only things he had left that connected him to the outside world and Roy especially. Would his partner ever forgive him for losing it?

He glared at the clown as he sat stroking his chin, seemingly deep in thought. It was fairly obvious what that ring must mean to him. Honestly, he had been surprised that he had managed to keep it for this long, but its loss still hurt as much as any physical wound the Joker gave him. It drove deep into his heart, creating an ache that would never fade, not until Roy came back.

"Yes, this should get their attention." He beamed. "Thanks, Jayjay!"

Suddenly, the clown was on him again, his hand whipping around, threatening to slam into Jason's face once more, but yet again, it stopped centimeters away. Jason tried to withhold his flinch. He didn't think it worked. Slowly, the Joker moved his hand and used it to pinch his cheek, giving him an endearing smile.

"Remember, Jayjay, no one has to get hurt. You're being all nice and cooperative right now and everything."

* * *

The passage of time had never been more distorted for Jason. Days came and went, and there was still no sign of a single Bat coming to get him. They couldn't spare him even a thought, let alone save him. Jason supposed he couldn't blame them. He was a murderer, and that was exactly the type of person that they fought against every single night. Why did he ever think that he could be one of them again? And were the Bats really so involved with their drug ring case that they were willing to ignore the Joker for what felt like an eternity?

"Are you going to be a good boy for me today?" The Joker's voice came from behind him this time.

How long had he been standing there? No one had come down the stairs while Jason had been conscious. He turned to glare at the older man because _no,_ he was _not_ going to be the 'good boy' that the Joker wanted him to be. Jason didn't even think he knew what that meant to the Joker. Compliance? Entertainment? Perhaps being a little ballsy? He didn't pretend to know what was going on in the psycho's head.

"Well? Are you?"

Jason glared at him.

The Joker gave him a mock-sympathetic look before continuing. "Such a shame that your Dad doesn't love you...perhaps you should leave him. Find someone who does care. Harley's always been partial to you, you know. She wouldn't mind having you around...permanently."

 _Is he seriously trying to get me to work with him? Is he an_ idiot?

"I wouldn't hurt you, you know. Well, I might if it sounds fun, but you'd only get punished if you do something wrong!" The Joker beamed. "And wouldn't it be fun to see the look on Daddy Batsy's face if you were to join me?"

Jason had to admit that he loved pissing Bruce off, but he hated the Joker even more. Hell no. Pass. No, thank you. Nada.

A knife found its way into the Joker's hands. From where, Jason didn't know, but he wasn't excited to see it. Unless he could somehow get it off of the Joker? Then again, he would never be able to cut through all his bindings before someone noticed, but oh, how he wished that he could stab the Joker. Maybe he'd get the opportunity to in the future.

When the Joker sat on his lap _again_ and straddled him _again,_ Jason did the only thing he could think of: a well-timed head butt. His head slammed into the Joker's, sending the clown sprawling onto the floor, and Jason grinned through his pain. It turned out head butting someone while you had a concussion hurt; who'd have thought?

"Bad Jayjay!" The Joker cried out, bringing his knife down on his collarbone.

Jason inhaled sharply once it made contact, the burning pain ripping through his body. That was all he really had to look forward to nowadays anyway. The only reprieve he ever had from the frustration, worry, and fear that seeped into his soul time and time again was the sharpness of physical pain. The longer he spent there, the more it seemed to....calm him? Jason wasn't sure why, but time was pain. Pain was time. The two of them were interconnected, correlated even. As the amount of time he spent in the dingy old basement increased, so did his pain. It all eventually faded into dull throbs he could easily ignore, but each new addition threatened to send him over the edge.

Strong hands found his hair, and his head was wrenched backwards, exposing his bare neck and bleeding collarbone to the man before him. Was he going to get rid of him now? Would he have peace? He waited for his throat to be slashed ~~again~~ , but it never came. The Joker towered over him. He seemed more in contemplation than anything else though.

"Are you really one of the Bats if they won't even come to get you?"

_Probably not, but hey, that's to be expected. I am an asshole an a killer._

"Does that mean you can be _mine_ now?"

Jason shot him an incredulous look and shook his head as well as the fierce grip would allow him. What sort of _crack_ was the Joker on if he thought that Jason would ever work for him? Was he waiting for Stockholm to set in or something? He rolled his eyes, turning his darkest glare on the clown. It didn't seem to have any effect.

He felt the pain not long after, that wretched knife carving its way into his cheek. He grit his teeth deep into his gag, wishing that it would rip, so he would be able to get at the clown with something at the very least. Whatever the Joker was doing, it ended quickly, which made Jason pause. Why was he not being punished for being 'bad' again? What was the Joker playing at?

"There we go!" The Joker beamed excitedly, bringing out a small mirror. "Lookie! Now, everyone will know to stay away from you!"

The mark the Joker had left wasn't the first thing Jason had noticed. He hadn't had the chance to look at himself for ages, since before he had been abducted out of his safe house. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he had grown significantly paler and more emaciated during his stay there. Dark bags were prominent under his eyes, and blood that had long since dried caked his hair and forehead.

That little present from the clown, however, was distinct. It wasn't much, just a bloody _J_ on his cheek, but to Jason, it was like a death sentence.

_Fuck._

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!


End file.
